Ignition system for internal-combustion engines.



M. B. GRIST. IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.15, 1906.

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M. B. CRIST. \IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

A APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1906. 922,673. Patented May 25, 1909.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR Q%22 ay-9&1 gm

M. B. GRIST.

IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPIIIOATION FILED FEB. 15, 1906.

Patented May '25, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' INVENTOR Z2 BY M MM ATTORNEY M. B. GRIST. IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1906. 922, 73, I PatentedMay 25, 1909.

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ATTORNEY cision across the terminal drawings accompanying thisapplication,

is a section along the line A A of Fig. 41 Fig. l

-fective operation of the apparatus and for is a section along the lineB B of Fig. 2. Fig.

4 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown 1 UNITED s'rAl zs PATENTOFFICE.

MARK B. CRIST, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR' TO THE WESTINGHOUSEv MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 25, 1909.

Application filed February 15, 1906. Serial No. 301,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK B. CRIsT, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Ignition Systemsfor Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and moreparticularly to ignition means for such engines.

In ignition systems utilizing high-voltage jump-spark coils an electriccurrent is induced in the secondary coil of atransformer and is utilizedin firing the com ressed charges of fuel in the engine cy inders. Thesecond or high-voltage spark occurs in the igniter plug at the time ofbreaking the primary circuit of the induction coil.

A difiiculty encountered in jump-spark ignition is that the contactpoints of the make and break device utilized in the primary circuit areoxidized or eaten away by the heat of the arc and the arc is alsolengthened or drawn out, thereby preventing the secondary spark fromjumping with pref the secondary 6 is a plan view of the apparatus shownin Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a section along the line D D of Fig. 4. Fig.8 is a wiring diagram illustrating the electrical connections utilizedin connection with the apparatusillustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 9is a wiring diagram utilized in connection with the ap aratusillustrated in Figs. 4, and 6.

eferring to Figs. 1, 2'and 3: A pedestal 13 is provided with a suitablebearing 14 in which an operating shaft 15 ofthe contact device ismounted. The shaft 15 extends into a chamber 16 inclosed within a casing17 and is provided'with a rigidly mounted op erating gear 18. A plate1-9, forming a part of the casing 17, is provided with alaterallyextending sleeve portion 20 which is mounted on the walls ofthe bearing 14. The chamber 16 is provided with an inlet port 22 andwith oil. A disk 24, rigidly mounted on the shaft 15 by a key 25, isadapted to pack the joint between the shaft and the casing and is heldin place on'the shaft by an integrallyformed collar 26. A helical spring27, surrounding the shaft, operates between a ring 1 28, loosely mountedon the pedestal 13, and CO1 The object of thisinvention is, therefore,the production of a simple non-vibrator jump-spark coil contact devicein which effectlve means are utilized for insuring an efgear 18 and isadapted to hold the sleeve 20 in place on the pedestal 13. The sleeve 20is provided with a set screw 31 adapted to preshaft.

A fiber cam 32 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 15 between the disk 24and a copper disk 33, which is mounted on a fiber bushing preventing theoxidation or eating away of the contact points. This and other objects Iattain in a contact device embodying the features herein described andillustrated in the 15. -An oil hole extends through the disk 33 and thebushing 34 and lubricates the end of the shaft. A copper brush 36 ismounted on the casing 17 and holds the cop or disk 33 and the fiberbushing 34 in p ace. The brush 36 is mounted within a sleeve portion 37which is rovided with a helical spring 38 adapted to 161d the brushagainst the disk 33. A feather-way connection 30 is provided between thesleeve portion 37 and the brush 36 to keep the brush from turning withthe disk 33, and is so constructed that an throughout the several Viewsof which corresponding numerals indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation along the line A A of Fig. 2 andillustrates an apparatus embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectionalong the line C C of Fig. 1. Fig. 3.

in Fig. 1 in connection with a vertical section of a high-voltage timingdevice. ,Fig. 5 '1 an outlet port 23 and is adapted to be filled aloosely mounted ring 29 in contact with the vent the casing 17 fromrotating with the or thimble 34 inclosing the end of the shaft- 'videdwith ized as a terminal in opening of suflicient size is maintainedbetween the interior of the sleeve portion 37 and the chamber 16 topermit of an ade uate flow of oil between the chamber an the sleeveportion so that the brush 36 will answer to the slightest longitudinalvibration of the shaft 15 and be continually held in contact with thedisk 33.

The sleeve-portion 37 is provided with a retaining collar 39 and isinsulated from the casing 17' by a fiber washer 41 and is proock nuts 44adapted to be utila primary electric circuit of the ignition system of acombustion engine.

. ontact shoes 45, adapted to contact with the co per disk 33 at certainintervals during a revolution of the shaft 15, are connected to holderblocks 46 by rods 47. The holder block is pivotally mounted on aninsulating bushing 48 which surrounds a in 49, riveted on the plate 19.The holder lock 46 is insulated from the casing 17 by a fiber washer 51and is provided with an extending sleeve 52 around which a helicalspring 53 is mounted. One end of the helical spring 53 is connected tothe holder block 46 by a bolt 54 and the other end is secured to aterminal screw 55 which extends through the plate 19 and is insulatedtherefrom and may beutilized as an electrical connection between thecontact block 45 and the terminal screw 55.

, A wire 56 also connects the bolt 54 with the terminal screw and isused auxiliary to the spring 53 as an electrical connection between t eblock 45 and the terminal screw. The contact shoe 45 is held against thedisk 33 by the tension of the spring 53 and the pin 49 is so laced withreference to the shaft 15 that t e holder block. may be turned around itto adjust the tension of the spring when the shoe 45 and the rod 47 areremoved from the block 46 and the disk 33 and the cam 32 are removedfrom the shaft 15. The holder block and cam, however, are soproportioned that the block cannot turn an entire revolution around thepin 49 when the cam is in place on the shaft or when the rod or the shoeare in place on the holder block. The shoe 45 is provided withaiaterally-extending lug 57 which contacts with the outer surface of thecam 32 and thereby reciprocates the shoe. The fiber'cam 32 is providedwith a cut-away portion 58 adapted to allow the shoe 45 to contact withthe disk 33 and thereby complete an electric circuit. The contact deviceillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 is adapted to be utilized on athree-cylinder internal combustion engine and is provided with threecontact shoes45 since the cam 32 I is rigidly mounted on the shaft, theshoes 45 will successively come in contact with the cppper disk 33during a revolution of the s aft.

Referring to Fig. 8, the shoes 45 and their 1 lug 85 of the sleeve 20mountings are diagrammatically represented by contact arms 59, 60 and61, to which are connected Wires 62, 63 and 64 respectively. The contactarms are arranged to make and break the circuit at intervals of 120during a revolution of the shaft. The terminal nuts 44, which are inelectrical connection with the brush 36, are connected by wires 65 and66 to a battery 67. The contact arms 59, 60

-. and 61 are res ectively connected to a lead wire 68 of the attery 67by thewires 62, 63 and 64 thereby providing three independent batterycircuits, each of which is provided with an induction coil in series inthe circuit and a condenser in parallel with the circuit breaker. Theterminals of the secondary or high-voltage coil of each transformer areconnected to the igniter plugs arranged in the individual cylinders ofthe engine.

When the arm 59. contacts with the disk 33, a currentfrom the batterypasses through the wire 68, a primary coil 69 of a transformer 7 O, thewire 62, the arm 59, the disk 33, and through the wires 65 and 66 to thebattery.

A condenser 71, connected between the wire 62 and the wire 66, isshunted around the make and break device and at the instant of breakingthe primary circuit, a current is induced in a secondary coil 72 of thetransg,

former thereby causing a high-voltage spark to jump across the spark gapof an igniter plug in one of the engine cylinders. When the arm 60contacts with the disk 33 a current from the battery 67 passes throughthe wire 68, a primary coil of a transformer 73, the wire 63, the arm60, the disk 33 and through the wires 65 and 66 and back to the battery.A condenser 74 is connected between the wire 63 and the wire 66 inparallel with the circuit breaker. A condenser 75 is connected betweenthe wire 64, which is connected to the contact arm 61 and the lead wire66 of the battery.

The operations of the contact arms 60 and 61 are similar to theoperation of the contact arm 59 and the jump-spark current introduced ineach circuit fires the compressed charges in the respective cylinders ofthe engme.

Since the chamber 16 of the contact device is filled with oil the makeand break in the primary circuits caused by the reciprocations of theshoes 45 occurs under oil and the oxidizing effect of the are isovercome and the are is destroyed causing a quick cessation of thecurrent and consequently less eating away of the contact surfaces.

Since ,the copper disk 33 is loosely mounted on the shaft 15 a newsurface will be present 9 9 d is 3 ted "to be utilized connection withagov'ernor in automatically re- 'volving the casing 17 about its axisand thereby varying thetime of the ignition by varying the relativepositions of the shoes 45 with reference to the shaft. 15. When thegovernor connection is utilized the set screw 31 is omitted. Amodification of the contact device is shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 inwhich but one contact shoe is utilized. A contact shoe 45 and itsholding block 46 are mounted on the plate 19 as in the previous case.The cam 32 is provided with three cut-away portions 77, 78 and 79,arranged 120 degrees apart, thus ermitting the contact shoe 45 tocontact with the disk 33 three times during the revolution of the shaft15. With such an arrangement a timing device, as illustrated in Figs. 4,5 and 6, must be utihzed when the induced current of the transformer isused 1n connection with an engine rovided with more than one cylinder.he apparatus illustrated is adapted for a three-cylinder enme. g A fiberdisk 80 is rigidly mounted to the frame portion of the edestal 13 and isrovided with contact b ocks 81, 82, 83 an 84 which are mounted bysuitable screws or bolts. A fiber sleeve 86, mounted on the gear 18,incloses the spring 27 and is arranged to hold a fiber ring 88 rigidlywithin a recess battery.

89 with which the gear is provided. A copper contact. ring 90 is mountedon the fiber ring 88 and is provided with a laterally-extending sector91, the surface of which is flush with the surface of the fiber sleeve86. The contact blocks 81, 82 and 83 are provided with brushes 92, 93and 94 respectively and are connected by wires 95, 96 and 97 to therespective terminals 98, 99, and

100. The contact block 84 is provided with a brush 101 which continuallycontacts with the ring 90 and is connected toa terminal 102 by a wire103.

The terminal 102 is connected by a wire 104 (shown in diagram 9) to theterminal of a secondary coil 105 of a transformer 106. The contact shoe45 in contacting with the disk 33 completes the primary circult and acurrent flows from a battery 67 through a wire 107 into the primary coil108 of the transformer 106, and from the primary coil through a wire109, the contact shoe 45, the copper disk 33 and a wire 110, back to theBetween the wires 109 and 110 a condenser .111 is connected in parallelwith the circuit breaker. The secondary coil 105 of the transformer 106is connected by the wire 104 to the terminal 102 or to the contact ring90, diagrammatically illustrated by the arm 112.

A wire 113, leading from the secondary coil 105, connects with the metalframe of the engine or the ground of the high volta e circuit. The arm112 rotates synchronous y with'the cam 32 and the current induced inthe'coil 105 by breaking the contact between the shoe 45 and the disk 33is eonveyed'successively to the brushes attached to the contact'blocks81, 82 and 83. Each wire leading from the terminals 98, 99 and 100isconnected to a spark plug in one of the cylinders of a three-cylinderengine and the high voltage current is conveyed by the timing devicesuccessively to the three cylinders! What I claim is:

1. In combination in an electric circuit, a circuit breaker comprising apivotally mounted contact shoe electrically connected within saidcircuit, a rotatable shaft, a contact disk loosely mounted on said shaftand included in said circuit, and a fiber cam rigidly mounted on saidshaft and adapted to move said shoe and cause it to contact with andrecede from said contact disk and thereby make and break said circuit.

2. A circuit breaker comprising a chamber filled with oil, a contactshoe pivotally mounted within said chamber, a rotatable shaft extendinginto said chamber, a contact disk loosely mounted on said. shaft, and anoperating cam rigidly mounted on said shaft and operating to move saidcontact shoe and cause it to contact with and recede from said contactdisk.

3. A circuit breaker comprising a stationary casing filled with oil, acontact shoe mounted within said casing, a rotatable shaftextending intosaid casing, a contact disk loosely mounted on and insulated from saidshaft, and an operating cam mounted on said shaft and adapted to movesaid con tact shoe to contact with and to recede from said contact disk.

4. A circuit breaker comprising a chamber adapted to be filled with oil,a spring operated contact shoe pivotally mounted within said chamber, arotatable shaft extending into said chamber, a contact disk looselymounted on said shaft, and an operating cam rigidly mounted on saidshaft and adapted to move said contact shoe and cause it to contact withand recede from said disk.

5. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, a circuitbreaker comprising a stationary casing filled with oil, a contact shoemounted within said casing, a rotatable shaft extending into saidcasing, a contact disk loosely mounted on and insulated from said shaft,an operating cam rigidly mounted on said shaft and adapted to move saidshoe, and means for varying the position of said casing to retard oradvance the ignition in accordance with the speed of the engine.

6. In an ignition system for internal combustion engines, a circuitbreaker comprising a stationary casing, a contact shoe mounted withinsaid casing, a rotatable shaft extend In testimony whereof, I havehereunto ing into said casing, a contact disk loosely subscribed my namethis 13th day of Feb- 10 mounted on and insulated from said shaft,ruary, 1906. an operating cam rigidly mounted on said 7 5 shaft andadapted to move said shoe to make and break contact with said disk, andmeans Witnesses: for rotating said casing to retard and ad- CHARLES W.MGGHEE. Vance the ignition of sa1d engine. I E. W. MoOALLIsTER.

MARK B. ORIST.

